Yeah in doing a bit more searching most sites are saying this Fall. I hope the turbo is available then or soon thereafter as well. Not that I'd definitively go that route but it's good to have as many options as possible.

Is there any reason to believe this car wouldnt get as rated as highly as the Sonata? Same engine and underpinnings right?

Perhaps you are Canadian and release plans are different there? In the US, the 2011 Optima will be out this fall, and the turbo engine will be available. It is the hybrid model that will not be available here until next spring.

I've seen reports that the Optima will join the Sonata in Alabama, and the new Santa Fe will be made alongside the Sorento in Kia's US plant. I haven't seen an official word on that, but it makes a lot of sense.

Yeah, something's got to give someplace, e.g. expand the Alabama plant so it can build Sonatas, Optimas, and Elantras. That would take quite an increase from the present 300k units (per year) capacity, given the Sonata alone is selling at a rate of over 200k a year in the US and that's w/o the turbo, hybrid, and coupe models.

Capacity at Birmingham is 300,000 units. But they haven't ramped it up that high. Yet. With Sonatas now selling at an annual rate of about 220,000, they would not be able to satisfy demand for the Sonata, Optima, and Elantra just with the Birmingham plant.

The Hyundai and Kia plants each have the capacity to build 300,000 vehicles annually, so both have room for additional models.

Hyundai, which started production in Montgomery in 2005, has yet to reach that capacity, peaking at around 250,000 in 2007.

according to KIA Buzz with regards to the availability of the Optima to US and Canada and if the features shown in Korea will be available. This was there reply:

The Optima will be available in Canada and US in early 2011. Not all the features shown in the video will be available for the North American market, the two features that will be unavailable are the LED position lamp and the static bending light (aka cornering lamp). The good news, though, is that your market will get other features not mentioned in the video, like a stronger powertrain!

according to there production figures, they must be making the change over to the all new Optima at the plant, because in April they built 4,403 units for export but in May only 259, so something is happening.

plant produced over 28,000 sonata/santa fes in both april and may. and their goal is to make 32k in June. so i guess they can easily work over time to build 350k. it's kinda like how Big house's capacity is 107k, but our record is over 111k.

it will be interesting to see how hyundai deals with increasing demand. maybe build 260-270k sonatas and build 70-80k elantra a year? i expect elantra to sell 200k, so maybe the rest of elantra could come from different plant? and maybe hyundai could sell 300k sonatas next year. I think hybrid will sell alot without eating i4 sales. it looks different, has great mileage and it is poised to take over the midsize hybrid market IMO. and 300k a year means, Sonata has a legit shot at being #1 seller in the U.S

I wonder if the quality will hold up when the factory is in "overtime" mode. I hope they don't start cutting corners, as another large automaker has been doing of late, with disastrous results. Maybe they have taken steps to increase capacity without affecting quality.

It looks like Hyundai might have to source some Sonatas from overseas to keep up with demand, the way things are going. Especially when the hybrid, coupe, and wagon come online. And I expect the next Elantra to be a big seller also, based on what I know about it. I think Hyundai will need to expand the Alabama plant or build another plant in the US before long.

Go to www.kia.com and choose that on the homepage. This is a "survey" site but shows you the options and prices available. Can't wait to see the car in person. No news from my sales guy in Toronto yet...

interesting article on the upcoming new Optima (called the K5 on its home market)

New Kia K5/Optima sedan sales hit 10,673 units last month. The K5 dethrones Sonata as the top-selling car in Korea!According to latest new car sales data from South Korea, the newly unveiled Kia K5 mid-size sedan (known as Kia Optima overseas) has outsold the long-time sales leader Hyundai Sonata in the domestic market. It has happened for the first time that Kia&#146;s mid-size sedan has topped the monthly sales chart in Korea.

Last month, Kia dealers sold 10.673 units of the K5 sedan, while Hyundai sold 9.957 Sonatas. From its very first day on the market, the K5 has been in high demand. The K5 sold 3.552 units within the first five days of its debut on May 25 with the number of sales contracts rising to an average of 831 vehicles per day.

Sharp car. Visually it looks great, I just need to hear thoughts on how it rides. Handling, noise level, performance, etc.

And a quote from the text:"Often photographs don&#146;t do a car justice and to be honest my first impressions of the Optima&#146;s web pics were tepid. I&#146;m now a believer. In person this car has a gravity that&#146;s hard to describe. It&#146;s design appears more expensive than many cars wearing established premium badges. These days it&#146;s hard to create an attractive signature look that doesn&#146;t mimic some other brand, Kia appears to have done it with a sweeping piece of chrome that slices through the top of the C pillar. It&#146;s a home run. "

wow, what a beautiful car. I think it's gonna be one of those that will just grab you and hold on when you stand right by it. Let's see, the nearest Kia dealer ta me is probably in Twin Falls, ID, about 169 miles north. :blush:

But then again, I believe that if I stay with Mitsubishi, the nearest Mitsu dealer is in Boise, ID, about 229 miles north. So go with the Optima, then, right?

It is a beautiful, stunning body design. I love the "SW to NE" slant angle on those cupholders right next to the gearknob. Beautiful car, I would have to say, backy, this one does trump the 2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS, though my love of the Kizashi GTS has really not waned much at all.

Oh, if I only had Jay Leno's money. And an airplane hangar like that to hold all of my toys. Sigh.

Like the interior better than the Sonatas. This looks a little more traditional aka functional. Ditto the wheels--everybody hates them and I hope KIA reads some of these posts and realizes how corny they look on a midsize family sedan.

The one thing that bothers me so far (as nitpicky as I am I'm sure I'll find something else) is the number of buttons on the steering wheel. I'm not sure but I think I counted 15 give or take. Thats a lot on a steering wheel IMO. Nothing I couldn't get used to but just looks busy.

It's also interesting to note that both the Sonata and the Optima has the chrome strips running the length of the car but just in a little different places. Supposedly completely different designers but I wonder if they compared notes?